“You need to earn her trust. Show her you’re not a threat, let her feel like she’s in control.”
“She’s a fighter. If I show her weakness, she’ll take initiative and attack.”
“I’m going to guess she had the blaster she stole from you hidden on her person, but she didn’t even reach for it.”
Drakkal’s tail flicked restlessly, and his ears twitched before flattening again. He tugged his fingers through his mane and shook his head. “Too many witnesses. She’s not dumb.”
“No, she’s not. Use that. Make her understand what you can provide.”
“She won’t let me get close enough to do that.”
“Come on, Drakkal. Are you akittenor alion?”
Drakkal glared at Arcanthus.
Arcanthus waved a hand. “If you need me to go with you and hold your hand…”
“No,” Drakkal snapped. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Tomorrow. Give her—and yourself—some time to calm down.”
Drakkal’s instinctual reaction would’ve been to growl and refute that notion, but he resisted it. His current state of mind was not typical, and the more he relented to it, the more intense it would become.
“Good to see you finally embracing your motherly side, Arc.”
Arcanthus grinned. “I guess you acting like an overly-sensitive cub brings it out in me.”
Releasing a slow, measured breath, Drakkal nodded. That storm still raged inside him, but for the first time in a few weeks, he could hear his own thoughts over the rain, wind, and thunder. “For whatever it’s worth, thanks, sedhi. You’re a pain in my ass, but at least you’re useful once in a while.”
“I’m just grateful you didn’t come home naked this time.”
“Me, too. I wouldn’t want to crush your self-esteem by making you feel totally inadequate.”
Arcanthus chuckled. “I’m glad you’re finally in better spirits. Now go take a tongue bath or something. I have work to do.”
“Bite me, sedhi,” Drakkal said as he turned and walked toward the door.
“Only after you’ve showered, little kitten.”
Smiling, Drakkal entered the hallway. That smile faded as he walked to his room. Thoughts of the terran flooded his mind, stirring his longing, rekindling his lust. His groin ached with a need that had gone too long unfulfilled, creating a deep discomfort low in his belly. No matter how he controlled his breathing and adjusted his gait, that ache wouldn’t subside.
By the time he reached his room, he was agitated again. He needed relief. He needed his terran.
He’d made mistakes in his dealings with her, but it wasn’t over. He hadn’t given up—he wouldn’t. This time, he’d doeverything right, he’d build something that would last, he’d build something real.
He entered the bathroom and undressed. With nothing to restrain it, his cock emerged partially from its sheath. His balls were heavy, sensitive, and felt overly full. Trying to ignore the discomfort, he moved to the control panel on the wall and started the water.
All he needed was a shower to clear his head, and then he could turn his attention to the important work—figuring out how to win the terran’s trust.
Drakkal inhaled deeply, drawing in the steam that was already wafting from the shower stall. Its warmth made him think about the heat that had radiated from the terran’s body as he’d escorted her out of Foltham’s zoo. He could almost smell her now; they’d not had enough direct contact this time for her fragrance to have settled into his fur, but it was so clear in his memory that it was almost real.
He forced himself to step over the small ledge and cross the forcefield to enter the spacious shower stall. He’d never been so aware of the faint tingling the invisible barrier caused on his skin. He positioned himself in the center of the stall, directly beneath the stream of hot water, and let the world fade from his awareness as the water’s gentle sound and caress enveloped him. Only his terran remained.
His eyelids fluttered shut.
Images of his terran—her naked body, which he’d seen with his own eyes, mixed with poses and movements from his imagination—flitted through his mind. His cock twitched, and his scrotum tightened. In his mind’s eye, he reached for her, and she didn’t move away.
Drakkal’s right hand closed around the base of his now fully emerged shaft. A shaky breath flowed through his parted lips, spraying away droplets of water. His touch was as painfulas it was pleasurable, but he couldn’t relinquish it now; heneededrelease. In his mind, it was the terran’s hand on his cock. After a deep inhalation, he shifted his hand up.